Cite (thing)

cite is an HTML tag that is used to specify a citation or reference within an HTML document. While seldom used, this tag is good for specifying book or movie titles, attributing quotes, or just generally pointing someone toward a reference (usually) without linking to it. While the tag usually renders text in italics, the tag should not be used for this purpose.

See also: blockquote, em, i, q

Attributes

The cite tag does not have any required HTML attributes. Nevertheless, it has numerous allowable attributes including:

• HTML Core Attributes
  • class (type: CDATA) - space separated list of classes
  • id (type: ID) - document-wide unique id
  • style (type: Style Sheet) - associated style information
  • title (type: Text) - advisory title/amplification; this information is usually displayed through tooltips
     
• HTML International Attributes (I18N)
  • dir (type: Custom) - specifies the direction of weak or neutral text; valid values include ltr (left to right) or rtl (right to left)
  • lang (type: Custom) - specifies the Language Code of the language used in the citation
     
• HTML Event Attributes
  • onclick (type: Script) - a pointer button was clicked
  • ondblclick (type: Script) - a pointer button was double clicked
  • onkeydown (type: Script) - a key was pressed down
  • onkeypress (type: Script) - a key was pressed and released
  • onkeyup (type: Script) - a key was released
  • onmousedown (type: Script) - a pointer button was pressed down
  • onmousemove (type: Script) - a pointer was moved within
  • onmouseout (type: Script) - a pointer was moved away
  • onmouseover (type: Script) - a pointer was moved onto
  • onmouseup (type: Script) - a pointer button was released

Usage

To use the cite tag, simply place opening and closing HTML tags around the citation. For example:

In 1998, the <cite>International Electrotechnical Commission</cite> decided that 1024 bytes should be referred to as a kibibyte rather than a kilobyte.

On browsers that support this tag, this will typically cause the words "International Electrotechnical Commission" to be displayed in italics.

Everything2 Support?

E2 does provide limited support for the cite tag. It does not allow the use of any of its HTML attributes. Below is how your browser displays the example above here on Everything2:

In 1998, the International Electrotechnical Commission decided that 1024 bytes should be referred to as a kibibyte rather than a kilobyte.

If you would like to use this tag with any of its attributes, you can do so in your Notelet Nodelet.

Common Browser Implementations*

Most web browsers support this tag, as it has been around since at least HTML 2. Most browsers will display the citation in italics.

Previous HTML Tag: center (previous E2 supported HTML tag: br
Next HTML Tag: code
See Also: HTML tags and HTML attributes

* Please feel free to send me information about how other browsers implement this tag.